Office-indicator.



No. 7|7,24l. Patented Dec. 30, I902.

W. H. MERCER.

H UNIT D STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM H. MERCER, OF PORTLAND, OREGON.

OFFICE-INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 717,241, dated December30, 1902.

Application filed April 9, 1902. Serial No. 102,128. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. MERGER, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Portland, in the county of Multnomah and State ofOregon, have invented a new and useful Improvement inOfiEice-Indieators, of

which the following is a specification, refertor which comprises all thefeatures for rendering the same a complete device adapted to all itsuses, nevertheless of simple construction and of pleasing appearance asa whole.

To this endmy indicator consists of a base having a clock face andprovided with a movable hand adapted to be set to indicate a particulartime, arotatable dial bearing the names of the days of the week, suchdial being concealed behind the clock-face and there being an openingcut in the base through which the name of the particular daymay bedisplayed by a proper adjustment of the dial, and means for announcingwhether the person whose name the indicator bears is in or out. Thedevices employed by me for the latter purpose are of the simplestconstruction. At the same time they are designed in their effect toappear as if consisting of like means as employed by me for announcingthe days of the weekthat is to say, as if the devices for announcing thepresence or absence of the office occupant consisted of a dial-segmentbearing the words In and Out or words of like import and displayed toview through an opening therefor in the base the same as are displayedby the respective segmental portions of the dial bearingthe names of thedays of the week. The effect of this combination is to obtain an office-indicator of neat appearance, as will be observed from the drawings.

In such drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation or front view of myindicator, the same being shown as set to announce that the person isout of his office and the time of his return. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsection on line 'y y of Fig. 1, .and this figure also shows means forsecuring the dial d and hand 0 in place and for setting said dial asrequired. Fig. 3 shows in part the same view as Fig. l, the indicator,however, being so set as to announce that the person is in his office.Fig. 4 is a cross-section on the line a; w of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 is-adetail of construction.

The letters designate the parts of the drawings referred to.

r The base a may be made of wood or other suitable material. On itscentral portion it bears a clock-face b. On such clock-face is movablysecured a hand 0. Behind the clockfaoe and concealed thereby is a diald, on the circular margin of which are imprinted the days of the weekand theword To-day and words of like import. The dial d and the hand 0may be secured by a simple rivet; but the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 ispreferable. As here shown, the'dial d is provided with a socket in,having an interior thread to receive the stud Z. and j are washers. Thehand 0 is not shown in this figure, but would be placed between thewasherj and the head of the stud Z. x The parts are properly propor-,

tioned, so as to allow the dial (1 and hand 0 to be freely moved. Thedial is moved by meansof the head of the stud Z turning in the directionpointed by the arrow in Fig. 1. An opening 6 is out in the base a,through which may be displayed-the name of the particular day desired tobe announced. In the upper part of the base a. is a sunk-in surface f,which may be rendered conspicuous, if desired, by a border or frame g.In the upper half of such surface f is imprinted the word Out and in thelower half the word In. A wing it is horizontally and centrally hingedto said surface f, so that when such hinge is turned up or down it willcover one or the other of the words Out and In. On that face of the wing71. which will be exposed when it is turned down, as shown in Fig. 1,are displayed the words Will return. The opposite face of the wing itmay be left blank or bear the word Walk. Thus, as my indicator is shownin Fig. 1, the same has been set to announce that the occupant of theoflice is out and will return at the time indicated below. When theperson has returned to his room, then my indicator will be arranged asshown in Fig. 2.

g The letters of the word Walk are shown in broken outline to indicatethat the use of the same is optional.

From the description given it will be noted that the operative effect ofthe hinged wing 7t within the sunk-in surfacef is the same as would beobtained by the use of a dial-segment bearing the words like In and Outand cutting an opening through the base a, through which either of thesewords could be displayed at will. The wing h, however, is of muchsimpler construction. On the other hand, the visual effect of theWinghin connection with the sunk-in surface f, because of its resemblinga dial, is more striking and gives to my indicator as a whole a neaterappear- In the lower part of the base (11 provide a pair of fingers m mfor holding cards or a note, and the lower portion of the face of thebase a may also be coated with a silicate or silicious compound toreceive erasable memoranda. By the arrangement of the sunk-insurfacefand the wing it as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the same may becentrally positioned above the time-dial; but the same general effectmay also be obtained by making the sunkin surfacefa long and narrowstrip extending crosswise and bearing the Words Out and In at its twoends and then attaching a Wing, like 71, in the center of such surfaceby a vertical hinge, which may consist of a simple staple n. (Shown inFig. 5.) In the latter case the operation above described for setting myindicator would be just the same, the only difference being that thewing it would be turned sidewise instead of up and down. The thumb-hole0 is provided to facilitate the lifting of the wing it When to bereadjusted.

It is my intention to use my indicator asa card to be affixed to theentrance-door of a room or office; also, to use a number of suchindicators arranged in the form of a directory to be displayed in thehall. In the latter case the names of the occupants of the buildingwould be alphabetically arranged. When my invention is used in themanner as last described, the same would afford great convenience ininforming persons having business with the occupants of the buildingwhether the person they wish to see is out or in, thus saving the timeconsumed in going to the rooms of the respective persons, if they arenotin, and, besides, saving the expense of carrying people up and downin the elevator of the building merely to find that the person whom theywish to see is out of his office. With the use of my indicator as ahall-directory the habit could soon be introduced of looking at theindicator to find whether the person to be visited is out or in.

Having fully described my invention, now what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

In an office-indicator, the combination of a base having a clock-face,and provided with openings, e and f; a dial, d, provided with a socket,is; washers, 't' and j, and stud, Z; a hand,o,and a Wing,h,centrallyhinged in said sunk-in surface, the latter bearingwords like In and Out,for announcing Whether the office occupant is in or out; and said wingconcealing one of said words, and exposing the other to View, and theface of said Wing exposed when the Wing discloses the 'word Out bearingfurther words like Will return the said sunk-in surface and wing, it,being made to simulate a dial-segment bearing said words In and Out,which are displayed through an opening in the base, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature, in thepresence of two witnesses, this 25th day of March, 1902.

WILLIAM H. MERCER.

Witnesses:

T. J. GEIsLER, W. S. GILBERT.

